The Timeless Pocket Watch
by Wings of the Jay
Summary: Displaced from her own time, she was raised as a Spartan. She rose above all men as a daughter of Poseidon and as hero with massive bravery and invincibility. Now she's the great warrior goddess of Olympus, ready to kick butt. Godly!Percy. Fem!Percy.
1. Missing Master Bolt

_Perseus did not grow up in her time. Instead, she was raised as a Spartan, a fierce warrior woman. When she was eighteen 300 male Spartans marched off to war and all 300 were accounted for as dead…excerpt her. History never knew of the woman that had disguised herself as a man to fight for her city. The gods recognized her as a daughter of Poseidon and a brave hero that fought against the odds and won. That day she ascended into the circle of the gods as the warrior goddess of the air and storms._

Thunder rolled darkly overhead, but the gray sky was void of lighting dancing among the clouds. An ominous feeling knotted itself at the pit of my stomach as the shadow of the Empire State Building loomed up past the structure of New York City. Something was terribly wrong. Tension was building in the air. A man stepped out to impede my approach of the tall building and I met his lecherous grin with a glare. He stumbled away in shock from the intensity of my gaze and retreated back into the shadows. With a deep sigh, I took off running down the deserted streets of the city.

It was frustrating not being able to use my powers, especially during a time like this. I could almost feel it, bubbling deep within the skin, but whenever I reached out to tap into it, it disappeared deeper within me. It had started three years ago when my power had been sealed away by a pocket watch that I had worn as a necklace for a almost as long as I could remember. Now I could barely separate myself from it without a shot of pain lacing through my chest. I had lost my strength as a goddess, but still maintained my status on Mount Olympus as an immortal. But now I was stuck running to the Empire State Building like a mere demigod—never mind the fact that that was what I truly was underneath the divine warrior goddess.

A street lamp flickered above me, casting hazy shadows that bounced along the darkened streets. It illuminated a small alley and I glanced at it as I propelled myself towards Mount Olympus. What I saw brought me to a complete stop. Growling and staring at me with glowing red eyes was hellhound the size of a rhino.

Swearing under my breath I summoned up my sword, Riptide, one of the few things I could manage with my suppressed power. The celestial bronze gleamed eerily in the lamplight and as I grasped the hilt it was almost as if I could feel the essence of past heroes; the might of their faded force remained.

The hellhound leapt at me, its growl ripping through its massive chest. I ducked to avoid a giant paw that nearly took my head clean off and I almost laughed. _Let's see you actually do it._

Almost as if it could understand that I was laughing at it, it lunged at me with renewed force. Not expecting it, I jerked back and Riptide clattered out of my hand. The hellhound howled in victory and pounced, raking its claws down my chest. I knew not to expect the pain, nor did any come. I was used to the lack of it and used to the lack of blood. No wounds have touched or marred my flesh since…since a long time ago.

The large dog reared back to take another swipe at me and I took advantage of the lack weight on my chest and rolled out from underneath it. It came down hard, cracking the pavement with its large paws, giving me time to scramble away to grab Riptide where it was lying under the street lamp. Before I could try to readjust my position, the hellhound was on me again. That thing was _damn fast._

"I don't have time for this," I growled, dodging its yellow teeth that snapped at me. Instead they connected with the lamppost, breaking the pole like a toothpick. The light, now completely out, teetered delicately before falling with a groan onto the hellhound's back. It howled and bent to roll the post off of it and onto the street. I took advantage of the distraction and swung my sword down upon the neck of the hellhound. It exploded into dust.

I brushed the little particles off my bare arms in disgust. "I hope you have fun in Hades," I muttered, "although I have a sneaking suspicious that he had something to do with this."

Another thunderclap pulled me back to the here and now. _Still no lightning. _I took off at a moderate jog, almost to my final destination. I was especially late now and someone would be out for my blood. As if in response the sky shook with more thunder and drop of water fell on my nose.

It was absolutely pouring by the time I reached the entrance of the Empire State Building and as I stood in the lobby, dripping wet, the man sitting at the desk gave me an odd look. "Shove off," I told him, wringing out my hair.

"You better hurry," he said. "From what I can tell, Zeus is pretty angry."

The lobby was completely empty save for us two, so I found it rather necessary to let off a string of profanities including Apollo's nether regions and Hades' underwear. Ignoring my swearing, the guy at the desk tossed me the key card for the six hundredth floor. I nodded my thanks and entered the elevator.

One of the worst, yet most interesting parts of having my powers sealed was having to take the elevator to get to Mount Olympus. I mean who doesn't love have "_We all live in a yellow submarine,_" play over and over while they're waiting to reach their destination. Things always got better when I started humming any of the Beatles' songs at the summer solstice.

The doors dinged open, revealing the almost empty streets of Olympus. It was as if the other immortals could feel the tension that lay thickly in the air and had run to take cover. A few wood nymphs in the park stared at me anxiously and I could feel my own anxiety reach out to meet theirs. I was absolutely dreading walking into the throne room, but I had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the grand doors open.

Hermes, Apollo, Hera, Zeus, and Poseidon all turned to face me. They were all in their giant forms and their ten-foot-tall figures towered over my small frame.

"Sixteen?" my father asked, referring my appearance of age.

I shrugged. "It was all I could manage."

"Enough!" Zeus's voice boomed across the room, probably traveling to the rest of Olympus and half of New York. I wouldn't put it past him to have even Chiron over in Camp Half-Blood hear his voice.

"Geez," I said, massaging my temple, "I don't think you could've been any louder. You need to cool it, it's just small talk."

That left Zeus absolutely fuming; nobody told the King of the Gods that he needed to cool it. His stormy gray eyes met my sea green ones and I could almost see his anger grow. "My Master Bolt is missing."

"Well no shit, Sherlock," I said, gesturing to the stormy sky. "I haven't seen so much a spark of it. Though I guess it still is rather impressive that you have such a control of the sky without it."

I don't generally dish out compliments but when Zeus is mad, you start kissing ass. Among other things, I didn't want to end up being a Percy-shaped splatter on the streets of New York City. He didn't take it, though, like usual. Although this time, he was spitting mad.

After an awkward, strained minute of silence Apollo spoke up. "Who took it?"

"Who took it, indeed." Zeus's voice was grave as he turned his gaze to my father and then me.

It took only a second for me to comprehend what he was implying. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, raising my hands in a stopping motion. "You can't think that any of us did it. We're all gods here and gods can't steal each other's symbols of power."

"_Are_ we all gods here?" Zeus questioned, staring at me intently.

My mouth dropped open. "No! You must be out of your damn mind! I have every right to be standing here as a goddess, even if my powers are sealed." I jabbed my finger at my chair in the half-circle of thrones. "Does _that_ mean anything for you?"

Apollo quickly stepped between us, holding up his hands. "None of us can deny that you a goddess, Percy. I think what Zeus is trying to say is that-"

"That you are a good candidate to have stolen my Master Bolt!" Zeus bellowed, cutting off Apollo.

"In what aspects?" I demanded. "It can't be proven that I can now steal your Master Bolt, nor would I have the drive to do it. Think about it, why would _I _want to steal the symbol of _your _power. It doesn't make sense."

"My brother could give you a reason.

It was Poseidon's turn to be angry. My father turned to his brother, a new fury sparking in his eyes. "You think I did this, brother? Is Hades also a suspect or do you randomly think I would be the only one to have any reason to steal for you?"

Zeus opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. "Zeus, cool it," I told him for the second time that night. "This pointing of fingers won't work out for any of us."

"Pointing of fingers?" Zeus echoed. "I have good to reason to suspect Poseidon after our recent feuds."

"That was several years ago."

"Enough! If one of you doesn't return the Master Bolt soon there will be things much worst than feuding between us."

In a dramatic swish of clothing, Zeus raised his arms and his being shone brightly before he disappeared in a flash of light. I met my father's gaze and he led me out of the room. We both knew that when Zeus had said "soon" he meant by the summer solstice.

As my father shifted back to the normal human size we walked along the streets of Olympus. The residents were beginning to venture out now that they could sense that Zeus's angry presence had left. Their curious eyes followed us as we made our way to the elevator.

"Even though Zeus expects us to give it back, he's going to take things into his own hands," Poseidon said gravely, looking down upon the streets of New York. "He thinks that we had a demigod take it for us and so your children are not safe."

I frowned. "Daphne and Doris should be fine," I said, referring to my five year old twins.

"And the other one?"

"Lysander…he's at Camp Half-Blood now. It was the only place he could go since his father died." I was never one to have an army of children, just one here and there with the right guy. I lowered my voice. "And what about your daughter?"

He shifted uncomfortably. Even though he wasn't the only one to break the pact he had made with his brothers, his daughter was still part of the great prophecy that would either destroy or save Olympus. "She should be around twelve or thirteen. Percy…I haven't seen her since she was little. I have no idea how she's doing."

His face was distorted in the pain and guilt that he felt about leaving the mother and the child that he had fallen in love with so many years ago. I remembered back when she had just been born and my father had known what he was supposed to do; yet it had broken his heart to do it.

_We stood on a beach, its crashing waves speaking to us, whispering secrets of the deep. Poseidon gazed to the sea, his face grim. "My brothers will realize what I've been up to if I continue with this."_

_ I hesitate before speaking. "You have to leave them. You're putting both their lives in danger."_

_ He finally broke his eyes away from the surf and looked at me. "She looks like you."_

_ I snorted. "That's crazy. Babies don't look like anyone—babies look like babies."_

_ He shook his head, smiling slightly. "She has this little tuft of black hair and these green eyes that could melt you. Exactly like you."_

_ "If anything, I bet she looks like you."_

_ "No," he said, still shaking his head, "she's special…like you."_

_ "She'll be special one day, that's a definite," I sighed. "Well, unless Hades or Zeus broke the pact before you."_

_ His face lost any hint of laughter. "If they don't get to her before then," he said, his voice soft._

_ "They won't." I put on a confident face for him—and for myself, too. My resolve intensified and I placed a hand on his arm. "I'll protect her for you."_

_ Instead of helping him, something broke inside. I watched all the determination shatter into a million pieces behind his eyes. His head dropped, eyes searching for the sand. "This was a mistake," he whispered._

_ "A good mistake."_

_ "Is there such thing?"_

_ I grasped his broken determination and made it my own. "We'll create one then. It'll be the first one ever. _It has to work._"_

_ The consequences were too high for it not to work. This young child's life was on the line and I was not going to force her to pay such a grand price. And the mother…the poor women had been unlucky to fall for such divine being. It was like that for all the parents of demigods: such misfortune befell them even before the child was out of high school._

_ "Go," I told him, "I'll take care of everything._

And now I was telling him the same thing. "Go to them. Go to Sally and…I've forgotten her name." I looked at my father, ashamed. How could I forget the name of the girl that I've worked so hard to keep safe?

"You can't forget her name if I never told you it."

_What? _I had no time to try and figure out the reasons behind Poseidon's secrecy. "I have to go to Camp Half-Blood." We were standing at the elevator now and I stared at it with dread; I was not looking forward to the journey that I had to take.

"Do you need help getting there?"

"You know what," I said. "I think I'm just going to catch a ride with Apollo when it's dawn."

**Love it? Hate it? Want to eat it? I'm back bitches! I've been doing some little one-shots (and it wasn't even for Percy Jackson) and now I'm going to do an actual story. This story has been lingering in my head for a while now and I just had to get it on paper. Let's see where this goes.**

**-Jay**


	2. Blending in at Camp HalfBlood

The two places I felt completely comfortable staying at were Mount Olympus and Camp Half-Blood. Chiron greeted me Thalia's tree as Apollo dropped me off none to gently—his idea of dropping off being pushing me out of his chariot before he was even halfway to the ground shouting his usual phrase to me: "You'll bounce!" At least I wasn't afraid of heights.

"Did you hear?" I asked the centaur as he helped me from the position I had landed in. He nodded gravely and I raised an eyebrow. "Was I seriously the last to know?"

Chiron shook his head, a pitied look crossing his face. "I wouldn't know; Zeus sent Hermes to tell me sometime around midnight." I contemplated his words, vaguely remembering Hermes being at my meeting with Zeus. Was that before or after Chiron found out? "And I was also informed that he suspects you and Poseidon."

I winced and looked away. The sun was just above the horizon and I could almost imagine Apollo rocking out in his chariot. Campers were stirring in the valley below and I spotted my own cabin in the 'U' shape that matched the thrones. A young boy emerged from the entrance and I recognized his flop of dark hair. It was my son.

Chiron followed my gaze and sighed. "Shall we continue this in the Big House?"

I nod. "We might as well; I don't want to draw any attention to myself."

Dionysus was sitting on the porch, sipping a Diet Coke with a sour look on his face. When he caught sight of me he raised an eyebrow. I raised a hand in hello. "Hey, cuz."

"Why do you say that," he grumbled. "Don't think that because we are related as cousins that you can greet me like that."

"Oh don't get you panties in a wad."

Chiron gave me a warning look and I backed off. We had much bigger fish to fry. After all, we were in similar situations in which we were stuck with less than what we wanted.

"Perseus," Dionysus addressed me.

I rolled my eyes. "Percy." Perseus was a boyish name—I mean come on, how many girls do you hear have such a name? Percy wasn't much better, but it wasn't uncommon.

When I was younger-before I was a goddess-I was found by Spartans with nothing on me but my name. Even my memories had been wiped. By what, I'm not quite sure. They had raised me well enough, I would say.

"Perseus," Dionysus repeated, ignoring my correction, "why are you here?"

"Why would you want to know?"

Dionysus sighed. "It's a simple question, Perseus, why must you be difficult about it?"

"I'm here to show off my exceptional archery skills," I said, sticking out my tongue. It was my job to be difficult. It was also my job to create natural disasters, but that didn't matter. Much.

Activity was bustling down by the cabins and I gazed at the campers warily. "Can we take this inside?" I asked, shifting from foot to foot. Breakfast would be starting soon and I wanted to stay as under the radar as possible; drawing attention to myself wouldn't be exactly a great thing.

Chiron nodded in agreement and led me through the doorway of the Big House and into his office. Dionysus followed us in and I cast him an exasperated look. _Doesn't he have anything better to do?_ Apparently not, because here he was ready to poke his nose into my personal business. Great.

"Are you here for Lysander?" Chiron asked, getting straight down to business.

"Ah, your son," Dionysus said. "That's what it's about."

"What," I said, feigning shock, "you doubt my gift for archery?"

Dionysus sighed heavily. "Perseus, we both know that you aren't here for your talent with a bow or rather, lack thereof."

I waved my hand, ignoring his comment. "Zeus suspects my father and me of stealing his Master Bolt.

"And you think that your son might be in danger from him." Chiron filled in the blanks, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Pretty much…he's the perfect candidate to be able to take the Master Bolt."

There was silence in the room as the weight of the situation settled upon us. "How is he?"

"He doesn't interact well with the other campers—he sticks to himself more often than not. The only person he actually has a good relationship with is Annabeth, a daughter of Athena."

In the distance a horn blew and both Dionysus and Chiron turned towards the door. "Wait! I need your help!" I immediately bit my tongue in frustration; I had not come here to plead like a mere mortal.

Chiron paused in the doorway, but Dionysus pushed past him. "Someone has to supervise the hooligans' breakfast," he said. I let him carry on down the hall.

"I'm guessing this isn't just a visit to check up on your son, is it?"

"Well it's part of it," I sighed. "I need to keep an eye on him and look out for anything…suspicious. After all, it's the first place to start the search for that damn Master Bolt."

"So," Chiron said slowly, "you're going to be staying at Camp Half-Blood for a little bit?"

"Pretty much."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to stay under the radar."

"I'll be incognito," I said with a grin.

"Incognito?"

"Yes, incognito."

"A goddess incognito?"

I was beginning to get impatient by Chiron's skepticism. "It won't be that hard. It's my name that everyone recognizes, not so much my face. I can just go by a different alias."

"So what alias will you go by?" Chiron asked, sounding a little more believing.

"I suppose Percy is a little too obvious," I mused, "but Lucy's quite similar, don't you think?"

"So it's Lucy? And you're a daughter of Poseidon? Or do you want to be a child of Perseus." I could almost imagine him laughing at me. I groaned.

"That's just weird."

-X-

After we got everything sorted out Chiron led me back to the dining pavilion. Kids were starting to file out and we waited on the side, obviously looking for someone. She came in the form of a twelve-year old girl with blonde hair and gray eyes; a daughter of Athena.

"Annabeth," Chiron called the girl over and I scrutinized her. So this was the only friend of my son. "This is Lucy. Can you show her around and help her get settled?"

Annabeth nodded slowly, it was her turn to scrutinize me. "Cabin eleven?"

"Cabin three."

"Cabin…three?" Annabeth said slowly, the information processing. She gave Chiron a hard look. "She's been claimed as a daughter of Poseidon?"

She knows. Dammit, she knows about the prophecy. What has Chiron been telling the campers? "Hey," I said, waving a hand, "I'm right here, you know. There's no need to talk about me like I'm not here."

"Alright," Annabeth said, turning to me, "how old are you?"

"Annabeth," Chiron warned.

I ignored his warning and answered anyway. It was his damn fault that this girl knew too much. "Fifteen." I could tell that Annabeth wasn't sure how to react to my blunt answer and by the way Chiron shifted nervously next to me I could tell he wasn't happy with my response. Too bad for him.

"Will you show her around, please?" Chiron repeated, desperate to end the conversation. Annabeth reluctantly nodded and gestured for me to follow her. I gave the centaur an _I'll deal with you later _look before heading off with her.

"So what did he…tell you?"

I pretended to play stupid. "That I'm a demigod? You know, not truly human?"

"Yes, yes," Annabeth said, "but was there anything…odd?"

I did my best to fix a blank stare on her. "Besides the fact that I'm part god?"

Annabeth got the clue that I either didn't know what she was talking about or I wasn't going to tell her anything. Whichever it was, she knew just to drop it. Our silence was a bit awkward, but it was better than her questioning me.

We arrived at the cabins and she took me by each one, explaining which gods and goddesses' children resided there. She even introduced me to a few of them—the kids I mean. All I had to do was look like I was listening avidly and pretend that it was my first time hearing this.

Next we went through the rest of the camp activities: the climbing wall, the armory, the arena, the stables, et cetera. Finally we stopped at the archery where Chiron was giving a lesson. I could feel a grin spreading across my face as he caught sight of us approaching him and grimaced. He obviously wasn't looking forward to having me in his lessons. Annabeth noticed my ecstatic expression and raised an eyebrow. "Have you had experience in archery before?"

"More or less."

"I thought you were a daughter of Poseidon. They're not exactly as good as the Apollo cabin at wielding a bow."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "I didn't know there was an abundance of Poseidon's children for you to learn that from."

"Oh, my friend's a son of Perseus." I resisted the urge to correct her on my preferred name as she continued. "That's as close to Poseidon as I know. There he is now." She waved Lysander over.

He was clutching at a bow awkwardly as if he didn't know how to properly hold it. Chiron followed him to us, a weary look on his face. "Do you really want to try this today, Lucy?"

I smirked at him. "Better now rather than later."

"Annabeth, can you go find her a bow?" he sighed. He had known this was coming after forgetting to mention a few important details. It was going to be a fun next hour and a half.

-X-

And so the week progressed about the same. Annabeth had quickly learned that my talents for archery included the fact that I could hit everything and everyone _except _the target and Lysander was comforted with the knowledge that there was someone just as bad as him, if not worse. Three campers had been sent to the infirmary on top of that.

I had also had a sword-fighting lesson, which in my opinion had gone pretty well. Never mind the fact that two more kids had to be sent to the infirmary. Chiron had looked as if he was about to give me a talking to in which I reminded him that I _was _the goddess of battle and had a hard time controlling the severity of how I beat my opponents. Kids just learned to stay away from me after that.

And finally it was Friday evening, my favorite night at camp. Chiron was on the fence about allowing me to participate in capture the flag until I promised not to intentionally maim (for the most part) any campers I came in contact with. He agreed, but only grudgingly. We stood off to the side as alliances were made between the cabins and armor was being collected. "So Ares and Athena are leading the teams, again?"

"They usually do."

I nodded idly, staring off to where my son was standing next to Annabeth. She seemed to be making a deal with a tall blonde guy that had a striking resemblance to Apollo. I recalled him helping me-or at least trying to help me-with my archery the other day. With the three of them was another boy; I recognized him as a son of Hermes. I was too focused on the scar that ran down his face to realize that he was staring at me until he turned his head away.

"Why was that kid staring at me?" I asked Chiron. "You don't think he…"

"Recognizes you?"

"Is it possible one of these demigods knows what I look like?"

I could see understanding spreading across Chiron's face. "Some of the year-rounders took a trip to Olympus last winter…" He trailed off when he saw that my eye was twitching.

"Is there anything _else_ you forgot to mention?"

He flinched. Yeah, I hadn't forgotten about the other things he wasn't telling me. I heard my fake name and I turned to see Annabeth waving me over. "You best tell me everything later." I figured the _or else _was implied.

"Lucy, this is Luke, head of the Hermes cabin-" she pointed at the creepy guy with the scar "-and Nathan, head of the Apollo cabin." The other boy waved. "And of course you know me and Lysander."

I nodded a greeting to Nathan and Lysander. "So I'm guessing you want me to join your team."

"You guessed correctly," said Nathan.

"Sure." I shrugged. "I don't really like the Ares cabin that much anyway." Or Ares himself. He wasn't very agreeable, especially when he thought that my field overlapped into his. I guess god of war and goddess of battle were pretty close in his book.

"Great," Luke said, grinning at me, "you can be on border patrol with Lysander."

Border patrol? _Border patrol?_ He had to be joking. What he really meant was that we were going to be bait for the other team. That's how new campers usually ended up because their lack of experience and in most cases, skill.

I was saved from having to respond by Chiron stamping his hooves against the concrete. He began to announce the rules and campers paused their bustle to listen, even though most had heard it many times before. I finished putting on my own armor and grabbing a shield to complete the look. Annabeth offered to find me a sword, but I politely refused, claiming to find one myself.

The teams were given a few minutes to set up in their respective territories and Lysander and I were sent to meander around our side of the creek. By the way he settled to leaning against the hollow of a tree I could tell he had had this job several times during his stay at camp.

"It's actually pretty easy—border patrol I mean," Lysander said, gazing out at the other team's territory. "I usually get assigned this job because I'm the best at fending off the Ares cabin. At least I have help." He grinned at me. "All you have to do is watch out for Clarisse's spear."

The conch shell blew before I could ask why and battle cries were heard throughout the forest. A few of Apollo's kids charged past us into the other side and Lysander pushed away from the tree to brace himself for oncoming intruders.

"Don't you miss the action?" I asked, swinging my sword back and forth.

"Action? There's plenty of that here." As if to back up his words three blokes crashed through the stream, ready for a battle. Both Lysander and I sprang into action, clashing sword on sword with our opponents. After a few minutes of sparring we were able to force them back into their own territory.

We didn't get a moments break, though. Another wave of gorillas broke through and I got face Miss Head Gorilla herself. She was big and I mean _big. _I was able to identify her by the spear that she was wielding that hummed faintly of electricity. Unfortunately for her, it wouldn't affect me like it did with all the other campers. All it would do was clang hollowly against my shield.

As a daughter of Ares, she truly was good at what she did. She had me dodging quite a few of her strikes, although I was just being lazy. Every time her spear collided with my sword, sparks would shower the ground. I yanked Riptide back and she took the opportunity to lunge towards my left side. Her weapon connected with my shoulder, but all it did was bounce off. Clarisse, caught by the rebound, stumbled back into the creek.

"Maiming isn't allowed," I growled, stepping towards her. "I had to promise Chiron not to hurt anyone and here you are, ignoring the rules."

I joined her in the stream and felt the renewed power surge through me. I took advantage of how unbalanced she was from falling into the water and knocked her spear to the ground. "Now scram!"

She didn't run away, but instead scrambled to get her spear. She didn't have time; Nathan came streaking across the border with the flag in his hand. Instantly a golden lyre replaced the boar and spear on the banner, the symbol of cabin seven. He was swept away by a throng of our teammates who crowded him, slapping him on the back and cheering his name.

I watched from a distance. This week had been fun, but I was no closer to finding the Master Bolt than I had been a couple days ago.

**Like it? Dislike it? Want to stop reading and go on Facebook instead? Let me know. I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not…well the first part is what I can't decide about, but whatever. Expect weekend updates here and there now that school has started, but don't get mad if it takes a couple weeks to get a chapter out. Ta ta~**

**-Jay**


	3. Quests that Aren't Mine

By mid-afternoon on Saturday dark, angry clouds were rolling through the skies of Camp Half-Blood. Rumors were flying around from camper to camper on what had angered the great God of the sky. On an average day anything could have set him off, but unfortunately the circumstances were nothing but normal. A son of Hermes had been seen running through the fields screaming about the apocalypse and how the world was ending tomorrow.

With a thick sense of unease hanging in the air, I sat on the edge of the dock trailing my feet in the lake. The activities in the area had been canceled for the day and the canoes were being locked up. Even the naiads had retreated to the deepest part, giving up on their basket weaving.

The water rippled out as I lazily tapped my bare toes against the glassy surface. I had ran through the calculations a million times and by my count I had a little over a week to find Zeus's Master Bolt and return it to him. So far I had come across nothing that would help me in search and guessing by my father's silence, he was also coming up short. In fact, I hadn't seen him in the past week that I had been at camp.

My fingers found the chain around my neck and traced it down to the pocket watch that hung around my neck. Plucking it out from underneath my orange Camp Half-Blood shirt that I had donned a couple days ago, I studied it. There were several more hands on the clock than there should have been and several strange symbols lined the edges. By examining the position of the hands and how they corresponded with the outer circle I could tell when the next natural disaster would occur. Back in the days when my power had been at its peak I could control and direct the elements with a wave of my hand.

With a sigh I traced the inky black lines that impeded many of the symbols and hands on the face of the pocket watch. Similar patterns outlined the center of my chest where the watch rested on a daily basis. It was the one thing that kept me connected to the accursed block on my power.

"That's a really interesting necklace you've got there."

I started, not hearing Nathan walk up. Hastening to get the watch out of sight, I dropped in down my shirt once more. He sat down next to me, setting his shoes on his lap. "A storm's coming."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "I've heard that storms like these are rare."

"Well storms of any kind are rare," he said, staring into the depths of the lake. "Sunny days here at camp are definitely plentiful."

We sat there silent for a few minutes, both of us caught up in our own thoughts. Finally he broke through our reverie. "Isn't it dangerous to sit next to a lake during a storm?"

I shrugged. How could I tell him that none of it would ever affect me? "Danger is my middle name."

"Lucy Danger-" He stopped, not knowing my last to finish it off with.

I changed the subject. "If it's so dangerous why did you join me?"

He grinned. "Stupidity is my middle name."

I contemplated shoving him into the lake, but realized that pushing people into large bodies of water was generally frowned upon at camp. This kind of flirting was usually in foreign territory for me.

Shifting my focus away from his face, I turned to a bucket of flat stones that hung from the edge of the dock. Selecting a few, I handed some of them to Nathan and plopped the rest into my lap.

"Skipping rocks?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," I said," it's one my many talents."

"Like archery?"

I waved my hand. "Among other things."

Picking up one of the pebbles, I positioned it properly in my hand. I let it fly across the lake, watching it skip across the surface; it was as if the hand of a goddess had thrown it. Hardee har har, I crack myself up sometimes.

Nathan tossed a rock into the water and it plunked once and sank pitifully to the bottom. I had to suppress a giggle as he chucked another one in out of frustration. "You're holding it wrong."

"How do you hold a rock wrong?"

"Well you manage to do so. Here, let me show you." I grasped a stone in my fingers and presented it to him. He took it, attempting to hold the round object correctly. I shifted a few of his fingers and loosened his grip in preparation for the release. Bending his arm back he let it rip across the water. It only skipped twice, but it was more than his previous tries.

"You'll be a pro in no time," I said, slapping his back.

He handed me his pebbles. "I'll stick to archery, I think."

I chuckled, accepting the stones. "Wise decision."

"Nathan!"

We both turned at the sound of his name to see Lysander running across the dock towards us. Nathan raised a hand in hello and I nodded my greeting. He stopped just before us, the wooden boards creaking under his feet.

"Annabeth and Chiron want to see us at the Big House," he said, gesturing for Nathan to follow him.

A bad feeling bloomed in the pit of my stomach as I watched Nathan push himself to his feet and collect his shoes. Why did Annabeth and Chiron want to see them? And more importantly, _why not me_?

"See you later," Nathan told me, waving a shoe in my direction. He joined Lysander and they jogged off towards the Big House. Pulling my feet out of the water and crouching on the edge of the dock, I stared after them. Giving them a few minutes head start, I followed them to Annabeth and Chiron. Pausing at the front door, I pressed an ear to the hard surface. My expertise in the area of eavesdropping even amazed myself.

"W-what?" Lysander's astonished voice reached me from the other side.

"Zeus's Master Bolt is missing?" Nathan's voice matched his and my head hit the door with a thunk. _They knew? _Realizing what I had just done I jerked back, praying that no one had heard me.

"Yes," Chiron's voice answered, confirming that my position had remained unknown, "Annabeth had approached me a couple days ago in hopes of getting a quest on the matter…and since no action had been taken I have decided to let her go through with it."

That damn centaur! My fist slammed against the door in fury, the wood splintering slightly under my hand. Disguising my rage I continued rapping on the door, softening the force of the blow each time. Without waiting to be called in, I opened the door.

"Chiron," I said, my voice cold, "I need to speak to you."

When he looked as if he was going to refuse, my glare intensified. He gave in; he knew a lost battle when he saw one. His hooves clopping against the floor, we exited the room into Chiron's office. I hopped up onto his desk and planted my palms next to my thighs.

"What in Hades have you been telling these children?"

Chiron sighed. "Annabeth figured it out on her own."

"With or without a sign from Athena?"

Chiron did something short of a shrug, after all, who could imagine the great trainer of heroes to shrug? "Annabeth certainly has gotten her brains from her mother, but I do not know if she had any other outside help."

I rubbed my temples. "And you found it completely necessary to accept her quest request?"

"Action needs to be taken and because you have been shirking your responsibilities playing Half-blood, I had no choice but to let them go."

Before I could argue with him, Dionysus strolled in. "The brats pointed me in this direction."

"Go away, Dionysus. I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

He gave me an amused look that made me want to go at him with a sword. "Unfortunately for you I have been called here because someone has asked for a quest. Contrary to your belief, everything's not about you _little goddess._"

I winced at the use of the nickname that some of the other gods had given me; they all knew it got right under my skin whenever I was called it. "You can't possibly agree with Chiron that the best option is to send these kids to get the bolt? Have you all gone mad?"

"My sanity is not the one in question here."

A deep growl rolled in my throat. "They're only twelve-year-olds! Lysander's not even that."

"Nathan's fourteen," Chiron informed me, but I waved his comment away.

"That's not the point."

A tense silence fell about the room as my stormy gaze was fixed on Chiron. I could see indecision in his eyes as he teetered on the precipice of a choice. Finally he deflated, his shoulders sagging. "I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do but set our trust with these children."

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, moving me aside so he had access to the door. I was tempted to take my anger out on Chiron's poor stereo and his awful music. Instead, I clenched fist. Chiron looked over his shoulder at me. "Stay here."

"Well I suppose I must go with you," Dionysus sighed as he left the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

_Eavesdropping again. _A scowl on my face, I pressed my ear up against the wooden door, straining to hear their voices from the other side.

"The Oracle it is, then." Chiron's voice had returned to its usual calm state. There was some shuffling and then Chiron spoke again, "Annabeth must go alone." Less shuffling this time and then silence—it was as if someone had placed a thick blanket over the room. At some point Nathan must have started humming for Dionysus said some very unkind words and the humming immediately stopped. The steps of the staircases creaking were the first signs of Annabeth returning from her visit with the Oracle.

"Well?" Chiron voiced the question on everybody's minds.

"W-we retrieve the Master Bolt," Annabeth's said, her tone shaky, "and return it…"

"What were the exact words?" Chiron inquired. "You know it's severely important to know the exact thing that that the Oracle said."

"We…will go west, to the god who has turned." She paused, letting the news sink in. "And then we find what is taken and have it returned."

There was a pregnant pause. "Is that it?"

"Yes."

"So we will face the god who has turned?" Lysander spoke up.

"In the west?" Nathan added.

"So…"

"Hades?" Chiron filled in gravely. "I'm afraid it must be so. He would benefit most from a war between the gods. When there's war in Olympus, there's war on Earth and that means death."

"And death is Hades' domain," Nathan added darkly.

"This is fun and all," Dionysus said, bored, "but if you don't need me anymore I hope to take a nap before I have to oversee any camp activities that I wish would burn in Hades."

-X-

The feeling of helplessness is pretty powerful, especially when you're stuck on a lousy hill watching a couple of teenagers depart on a dangerous quest that could and probably would kill them. Each of the three was sporting some form of a backpack and Annabeth was clutching at a Yankees cap that her mother had probably given her. I felt a twinge of guilt when I realized I had never thought of giving Lysander any magical items before today.

Luke came running up to them, carrying a shoebox. He presented it to the group and Annabeth took it, peering in. She pulled out a pair of winged sneakers, increasing my feeling of being an irresponsible parent. The shoes were obviously from Luke's father, Hermes, and I wondered why he would be so willing to give up such a precious item.

He waved a goodbye – not before giving Annabeth a hug – and took off back down the hill. Chiron patted them on the shoulder and gave them a few words of wisdom. I stared at him sourly. He was most likely just revealing more secrets of Olympus that the little Half-Bloods had no right in hearing.

When the centaur had finished speaking, Argus led the trio down Half-Blood hill and to the van that would lead them away. Chiron watched them depart, waving slightly in the process. Once he saw that they were out of sight he turned away from the road and to me where I sat on my lonely hill. Our eyes connected and he gave me the barest of nods.

My breath caught in my throat. Was he really letting me go after them? It seemed like it, and I wasn't letting such an opportunity pass me by. With a swoosh of my imaginary cloak (because life was so much cooler with one), I spun from my place on the hill and headed towards the stables where I pushed through pegasi, trying to find a noble steed to aid me on my journey.

I found a pure white one on the end who whinnied happily when a stroked it's thick mane. "What is your name?" I asked calmly.

_Robin_, he answered in my head and I nodded, showing that I had heard him.

"Well Robin, do you want to go on a little trip with me?"

_It would be my pleasure._

I led him out of the stables, the gentle clicking of his hooves soothing my fried nerves. He spread his great wings once we had exited the narrow space and I clambered on the back. "Let's see here," I muttered, "I haven't been on a pegasus in a long while."

_I'll try my best not to be too rough, _he comforted me, tossing his head.

"Thank you," I sighed, gripping onto his hair for fear of falling off. He took a galloping start and took off, swooping his powerful wingspan to gain height. As we passed over Thalia's tree, something caught my and I tugged at Robin's man.

"Wait," I told him. "Circle back."

He complied, settling in a trot next to the border of camp. The bright glowing that had drawn me down had subsided and in its place stood my father.

"_Now_ you decide to show up?" I hiss, steering Robin to face Poseidon.

He sighed. "I've been having issues collecting information."

"As have I. And of your daughter?"

His frown tightens and his eyebrows furrowed. "That's where I'm having the difficulty."

"Difficulty?" I snorted. "What have you done, lost her?"

"Not quite…"

I just stare at him, my eyes widening.

"She's…missing."

"Missing? _Missing_? How do you lose a girl? More importantly, how do you lose your daughter?"

"Her mother claims that three years ago she disappeared while on a school trip and hasn't been seen since. People have searched for her, but no one has ever found her. Think about it Percy, this happened three years."

_Three years ago_. That didn't mean… Three years ago my powers had been sealed. "Do you think this is a coincidence?"

"Coincidence or not, it's not a good thing."

I nod in agreement. "Not one bit."

"And Percy…"

"Yes?"

"You should know her name. It's…it was…" He hesitated.

"Spit it out!"

"It was Perseus."

**Like it? Hate it? Want to throw it off Olympus? You should let me know. CC is especially welcome. I've got mixed feelings about this chapter, although I don't mind it much. Also, a new story idea has been brewing in my mind and I'm not sure whether to start it or not. Maintaining this story, the new one, dance, and trying to keep up my grades might be a little too much for me though… Ah, well. Au revoir~**

**-Jay**


	4. Medusa Wants Revenge

Pegasus flight isn't for everyone. I wouldn't suggest it if you: a) are afraid of heights, b) not comfortable riding horses, or c) have pissed off Poseidon in any way shape or form in your lifetime. I could go on for a while but for your sakes, I'll limit the list to just those three. For the several drawbacks of using a pegasus as a form of transportation, there are a few perks. For example, they are much faster than having to wait on the ground for stoplights and other things that take up time. Plus, they're cheap.

For these reasons I had no issues catching up to the trio even after their thirty minute head start. Pushing Poseidon's grave news to the back of my mind was my strategic way of dealing with it later. Everything lately had been pushing me towards the edge and if anything else happened, I think my mind would implode.

And so watching the bus they were supposed to be on blow up didn't really make my day any better. But it was understandable, right? They are demigods—trouble follows them around like a shadow.

"Let's stop here," I told Robin, steering him down to gently land at the edges of the woods. People were running from the bus while others were frantically clustering next to it, worried for their possessions. I patted Robin's back. "Could you stay here for me while I go check this out?"

_Sure thing_, he said, bowing his head slightly.

I nodded and ran to the nearest group of ladies who were pointing at the flames licking out of the windows of the bus. "What happened?" I asked them.

"There was a big explosion–" one of them explained, but was cut off by her friend.

"There are still people in there!"

I snap around, giving her my full attention. "How many?"

"I think three, but–where are you going?" she shouted at me as I took off towards the burning bus. If Annabeth, Lysander, and Nathan hadn't made it off that bus before it had exploded, I'm pretty sure I would have a nervous break down.

When I clambered up the steps a wave of heat met me and a sad sight lay before my eyes. Smokey clouds billowed around the interior of the bus, pouring out of the cracked and broken windows and the seats were bent and on fire. The worse part–but one that made me very happy at the same time–was the three old ladies that were sprouting bat wings and yellow teeth and glowing eyes.

"The Furies," I breathed, unsheathing Riptide. "I haven't seen you guys in a while. I'm sorry to say I haven't missed your ugly faces."

"Watch your tongue, _little goddess,_" Alecto screeched, lunging forward. Her claws raked through air as I leapt back onto a seat that had yet to be claimed by the flames.

I growled at the use of my nickname. "I'm rather disappointed, though. I was hoping that Hades had sent someone stronger; I do get rather bored with our fights."

The other two joined in our battle, their fiery whips cracking through the air next to my head. Their next attack wrapped the burning rope around my wrist and I forced the one that had latched on out of Magaera's grasp. She made an inhuman noise in the back of her throat in response.

"Well this is fun and all," I sighed, dodging another round of their whips, "but I've got bigger fish to fry. Have you seen three cute little demigods?"

They don't answer immediately; instead they attack with more vigor. I sighed and tossed back the whip I had taken. "I really don't have time for this." Ducking an outstretched claw, I leapt down the stairs of the bus and onto the pavement.

"Don't think you can get away so easily!"

I turn just in time to see the last one – whose name always escapes me – fly at me. Relying on my instinct, honed by several years of battle, I whirled Riptide in a wide arc until it slashed through the scaly wing to her shoulder, penetrating deep into her chest. She opened her mouth but only a sickly gurgling escaped from it. "Go back to Hades," I said, wrenching my sword away and watching as she disintegrated away into nothing.

The remaining two had fire in their eyes as they stalked towards me. "Don't you get the hint? Back off!" The earth rumbled beneath my feet, causing them to stumble back. I suppressed a crazy grin. I still had it…even when I didn't, I did. No amount of seals could suppress my fighting ability or my anger in any situation.

The Furies exchanged scathing looks and returned to their feet. "This isn't over," Alecto hissed and they were gone. Just like that.

I blinked in surprise. Although I had predicted that it would be easy to defeat the Furies, I hadn't thought that it would be _that _easy. _They were summoned_. The thought niggled at the back of my mind. Had Hades forced them to retreat? Or perhaps they knew a losing battle when they saw one. Either way, they were gone now and I had to find Annabeth and her motley crew. Ignoring the shocked stares and whispering from the people who had remained, I jogged back over to Robin.

"Okay, new plan," I told him, swinging my leg over him, "The most logical place for them to go from here is the woods. Going on foot would probably be best, since visibility of the ground will be hard from above due to the tree coverage. That okay with you?"

_That is perfectly fine, ma'am._

At my pat, he trotted off into the foliage, his wide wings tucking in to avoid scraping the closely packed trees. Shadows flickered across our path as the branches waved in the gentle breeze. It was slow progress making way through the forest without actually knowing which way they went. I was tempted to get down and try to follow their tacks like some Native American Chief, but the image was just too absurd.

After a few minutes of nothing but green, I signaled for Robin to stop in a small clearing. "This is getting us nowhere," I sighed. "We might as well take to the air, although I don't know how much better that will make things."

Robin tosses his head and spread his wings as wide as the forest around us allowed. With a great sweep, he launched us into the air.

"Trees…trees…oh look, another tree. It's all too green and too dense." We circled around again, curving in an arc around the edges of the woods.

"I don't like this. We've already lost them." I groaned and laid my head against the long neck of Robin while still maintaining my balance on his back. "I've failed them. They could have been eaten my monsters or are wandering around the forest utterly lost."

_Ma'am,_ Robin whinnied, _perhaps you would like to see this._

I jerk my head up as the pegasus descended to a lower level, hovering just above a small store out in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly a stone statue crashed out of the storefront and across the porch.

"Well that looks suspicious. We shall investigate."

Robin dipped down, alighting down on the firm earth next to the quaint building. I swung my leg around and off his back and gave him a small pat. "You know the routine."

I took off towards the building where a conflict seemed to be taking place. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a sign that read "Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium." Stepping over the chunks of statue that scattered the ground, I leapt through door. I was met with the sight of garden tools and more statues. A whole lot more of statues. Realization dawned across me before I heard the telltale hiss from a mound of snakes.

"Medusa," I breathed.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are little Godlings. There is no use in hiding, I will find you in the end," the harsh voice swelled from beyond the frozen figures.

I stepped out from behind a crouching satyr. "Do I count for anything?"

Medusa whipped around from her spot next to woman who was frozon mid-scream. "You!" she shrieked. I was forced to duck out of the way as a concrete hand came hurtling in my direction. We didn't have the greatest relationship; she hated my guts and I killed her ever chance that I got.

"You're not getting away so easily this time!" she said, stalking towards.

I fixed my gaze on her nose "You know I will be and I'll be taking your head along with me."

Another person's hand was thrown at me. "Not this time! I'm not falling for any of your cheap tricks."

"Are they considered cheap if you fall for them _every time_? I'm just curious."

It was somebody's head this time and it ricocheted off a man that was next to me into my gut. At the force of the blow, I stumbled back before regaining my balance. Unfortunately from the distraction, I didn't see Medusa advance upon me and when I looked up there she was with her dreadful eyes staring me down. I attempted to look away, but it was too late.

I can count on one hand how many times Medusa has frozen me as one of her statues and trust me, it's never a pleasant experience. The sensation is that of…well it can't compare to much else. You're stuck in time, restricted from movement and you can't hear or see anything. I'm not sure what it's like for those who can't escape, but all I know is the faster I can get out it, the faster I can kick Medusa's ass.

Concentrating at my fingertips, I tried to send a surge of power to my hands where the de-statuing (methinks that that is not a word) began. Nothing happened. Panic surged through me as I tried again and had the same result. This couldn't be happening to me. This _can't _be happening to me. I was going to be stuck as an oddly posed statue for the rest of eternity because of a stupid locket that was sealing my powers. _Just freaking great._

Anger bubbled in my chest and I felt like killing someone, namely Medusa. It was her damn fault that I was going to be sold to some divine being and placed in their yard where I would sit until someone would have enough sense to smash me and put me out of my misery. And I never got to help the demigods with their quest. As far I knew, they could have had the same fate as me and we would be put together as a set of hopeless causes.

The more I thought about it, the more agitated I became. I had fought through countless Persians, taken a dip in Styx, and have had to put up with my godly relatives for centuries and _this _was going to be my unfortunate demise? I clenched my fist out of frustration and it took me a full minute to realize what I had done.

When you're frozen, you're movement is severely restricted—as in no movement at all. So when I was able to flex my hand, it didn't completely comprehend until my other fingers started to wiggle. _Yes._ Exerting more force, I tensed my arm muscles before shoving them forward. Slowly, a creaking sound groaned from outward and spread in. In the next moments the concrete encasing me shattered into a thousands pieces across the floor.

"It took you longer than usual," Medusa observed, "but I give you props for using a different method. You usually are on obnoxious brat when you do it."

I rolled my shoulders and shook my head. "I have no idea what I did, but it was pretty awesome, you have to admit."

In response Medusa lunged at me, her snakes hissing and writhing against her head. I summoned Riptide for the second time that day, swinging it into a statue to block her path. It crashed against the floor, causing her to stop abruptly before leaping over it. When she came in reach of me again, I brought Riptide around in an attempt to get he neck, but she ducked at the last moment.

"I know what you're trying do, and it won't work! Not this time!"

She snarled and snatched at my neck, pulling me towards her. Her fingers were steely against my skin and as she gripped tighter I just stared at her. "Is this supposed to do anything?"

Medusa made another guttural sound and slammed me into a man and a woman who were holding each other tightly. The woman's hand prodded into the small of my back and the pain was blinding. I couldn't help but let out a cry of pain. Victory danced in Medusa's eyes and she pushed me back again, increasing the pain.

"Now that I've found your vulnerable spot–" Her harsh voice was cut off by a new sound.

_"Maia!"_

A figure hurtled down upon us, kicking Medusa straight in the back of her head. She dropped me and I staggered away, avoiding crashing into any more statues. "Nathan!"

He steadied himself in the air and grinned at me. "You looked like you needed some help."

"Thanks," I said with a sigh. "Could you keep her occupied for me?"

"Sure thing!" he called down and swooped once again to deliver another swift kick to Medusa's fallen form.

I scrambled up and wove between the clutter of the small shop. I ran along the edges of the room, looking for something in particular that would help us against Medusa. A thought struck me and I paused. She had to have a bathroom, right?

I scanned the area and spotted one in the far corner. I took off at high speed, keeping in mind that Nathan was still going up against Medusa and Annabeth and Lysander were somewhere nearby. When I reached it, I shoved the door open and peered inside.

It looked as if no one had used it in a long time. Rust covered a good portion of the sink and the seat of the toilet was completely missing. I turned my attention to the mirror, which had a great crack in it as well as a layer of grime. Instead of trying to pry it off the wall (it looked as if slime had stuck it into place), I slammed a fist against it and smashed it, littering the ground with its fragments. I picked up the largest piece and bolted back out to the battle. Annabeth and Lysander had teamed up forces with Nathan and were throwing random objects at Medusa, distracting her from her fight.

"Hey Medusa!" I called, running up with the shard of mirror.

She whirled around in fury. "I'm going to chop you up into a million pieces and throw you into the deepest pits of Tartarus!" she screeched.

"Well that's pleasant."

I advanced forward, knowing that if I didn't time this perfectly my secret would be blown in front of the trio. I pretended to trip on a watering can and dropped Riptide, sending it clattering across the floor. I bent to retrieve it and the next thing I knew, Medusa's hand was around my neck once again. As she pulled me up, I flashed the mirror right in front of her face and she shrieked in surprise. She dropped me and I watched as stone began to cover her form from head to foot.

I straightened up. "And you said an old dog couldn't learn knew tricks."

"You froze her?" I turned to Nathan who had landed directly next to me. Annabeth and Lysander joined him from behind the statues that they had been using as shields.

I nodded. "She won't be bothering anyone for a while." Plucking Riptide off the floor, I slammed the hilt against Medusa's chest, sending large cracks through her body. It took another blow to make her shatter. "Unfortunately, she's going to be back sometime again and she'll be out for blood."

I kicked at the small pieces of stone and watched out of the corner of my eye as Annabeth patted Nathan and Lysander on the back. "Thanks for your help," I told them and Nathan shrugged.

"We had just escaped outside when we saw Robin standing in the trees. Realizing that you were now in there, we headed back in to save you."

_They_ had to save _me_? I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Which brings up the question," Annabeth said, stepping forward. "_Why are you here?_"

**Like it? Love it? Want to throw it away and kidnap me for taking my sweet time in writing this? Yeah, sorry about that. I was planning on updating it every other week, but I got sick this last week and it's stayed with me up until now. Writing just wasn't high on my list of things to do when I felt like I was going to throw up and had a mound of homework to do. Anyways, I'll try to be more punctual with my updates. Salut~**

**-Jay**


	5. Stories Around the Campfire

"_Why are you here?_"

I tilted my head to the side and gave her a long, measured look. Silence covered the space between her question and my long-awaited response. I let it hang there, pondering how I could answer without giving everything away. I figured "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just an ancient goddess who just so happens to be here to save my son's ass because of something that I didn't actually do," would be rather inappropriate for the circumstances.

I tried to imagine what Zeus would do if he had been thrown into my current situation. Probably blow the three demigods into oblivion for their ignorance. I think I'll leave that for Plan B.

"Well?" Annabeth's voice commanded my attention and I knew I could not wait anymore to answer.

"I'm here to take responsibility for my actions," I started carefully.

"What actions?" Nathan asked.

I held my hand up to signal that I was continuing. "Or rather the actions that I have been accused of committing. Zeus suspects that I stole the Master Bolt for my father." Not exactly true – it was Lysander who was being blamed of theft. "I felt it was unfair for you three to be doing something that I should at least be helping with. I want to be able to give a hand in finding the Master Bolt. If–" I add quickly "–that's okay with you."

Annabeth gave me a calculating look then tugged on the elbows of her two companions. "Let me discuss this with Lysander and Nathan," she said, dragging them back to the edge of the clearing causing Lysander to almost trip over a tree root.

Even if they decided that it was not okay for me to tag along on the quest, I would just follow them anyway. They would not be able to shake a determined goddess as myself so easily.

Bouncing on my heels, I attempted to make myself look busy while the other three immersed themselves in a serious discussion that wouldn't necessarily affect my fate, but whether or not they would comply to let me travel with them. In their eyes all I could particularly bring to the table for them was a pegasus and the capability to swing a sword around without accidently lopping off a companion's head. Maybe they wouldn't accept my offer after all.

After a few minutes of idle wondering, I was rejoined by the trio and had Annabeth's cool gray eyes fixed on me once more. I quirked an eyebrow. "So?"

"After weighing the pros and cons of having you accompany us, Lysander convinced me that you should be able to stay and help us with this quest."

I gave Lysander a crooked smile in thanks and he returned it with a smile of his own. I made a mental note that he indeed was useful and not to blast him into oblivion.

"So what do we do now?" asked Nathan, his eyebrows drawn together and his mouth fixed in a frown. In that moment I was struck with how much he resembled his father but at the same time I realized Apollo wouldn't normally frown with such intensity. It was an odd look to see adorned on such a similar face.

Annabeth glanced at the sinking sun and I could see her weighing options in her head. "We should make camp for the night," she finally decided.

We all nodded in agreement and I motioned for Robin to follow us deeper into the woods in search of a clearing that wasn't covered in shattered statue parts. Once we found an area that Annabeth deemed worthy the other three set down their packs and I led Robin off to the side to have a word with him. After giving him very specific instructions I patted his back and he spread his wings and took off. The force of the wind coming from his flight ruffled my hair and blew at my clothes which I absentmindedly straightened as I rejoined the group in the center of the clearing.

"What'd you tell Robin?" Lysander asked curiously as I sat down on the dirt next to Nathan. Annabeth looked up from the supplies she was rummaging through. She narrowed her gray eyes in thought and surveyed me, expecting an answer.

I held up my hands but held her gaze steadily. "Before you go and accuse me of sending away a very _useful _pegasus, let me do the math for you. There are four of us and only one of him or do you expect us all to squeeze on and let him take us all the was to California?"

"Well," Annabeth said evenly, "there is still the possibility that we would need to send someone back to camp if they were to be injured or if something else were to occur."

I shrugged. "Don't get your panties in a twist. Having to lug a pegasus across the United States really doesn't sound appealing, especially considering the size. Let's just say he will never be out of reach."

Annabeth dropped it; she knew a losing battle when she saw one. I sent a silent thanks to her mother, Athena, for giving her the brains and knowledge to be smart enough not to start a fight with me. One of these days I would truly confront Annabeth about her stubborn dislike over me, but now was not the time.

"We need to get some wood so we can have a fire," Annabeth said after a moment of silence. "We have a lighter to start it, but we need stuff to burn. I can handle that while the rest of you set up the rest of supplies."

Lysander glanced at Nathan and then me before trailing after Annabeth into the woods. "I can help," he called after her and disappeared into the undergrowth.

I stared at the place where his back had disappeared before turning to Nathan. His eyes were also fixed on the trees, but they were out of focus as if he was in deep thought. I decided not interrupt his thoughts and settled with just sitting there, studying the profile of his face. A cool, late-afternoon breeze picked up a few strands of his blonde hair and gently set them down so that they rested on his cheeks and fell directly into his eyes. This seemed to bring him back into reality.

He caught my eyes on him and his lips tugged into a cheeky smile that I had seen on Apollo way too many times. "Like what you see?" he asked, giving me a wink.

I rolled my eyes and distracted myself by tugging at the golden chain around my neck. Sliding my fingers down the small golden links, I pulled my gaze to the trees and bushes that surrounded us, watching them sway in the breeze.

"I wonder if Annabeth and Lysander will be okay," Nathan said and I watched him out of the corner oh my eye as he leaned back, resting his weight in the palm of his hands.

I matched his movement and placed my own hands on the cool, hard earth. "I don't think there are going to be that many monsters in the area, especially with Medusa so near by. This is her territory and other monsters tend to stay away from stronger monsters' areas." I paused, mulling over other factors in the situation. "But that doesn't mean that now that we have destroyed her, there won't be any monsters. Four strong demigods all traveling in a group are bound to draw some attention."

Nathan nodded his head slightly. "Hopefully they don't run into anything too dangerous."

"I'm sure they can handle whatever is out there," I said.

Nathan was quiet for a minute, running his fingers through the dirt. "What I don't get is how you know so much about the Greek gods but you've only really been at camp for a week. What's your story?"

I was prepared for such a question. When I had come up with the alias of Lucy, I had also created a back-story that would explain my knowledge about everything in Greek mythology. "I found out I was a demigod almost two years ago from a satyr that was at my school. My mother had been dead for quite some time and I was stuck with a family that cared very little for me. Anyway, a monster attacked my school and the satyr was killed leaving me to my own devices. He had also told me about Camp Half-Blood and I started travelling to it across America. When you're thrust into a whole new world of monsters that all want to kill you, you tend to learn fast."

"And it took you _two _years to get there?"

I shrugged – I might have made it a bit too unrealistic. "I got lost."

"Well," he said with a slight smile on his face. "You will definitely not be the navigator on this quest."

I snorted and looked over at him. His hair was gleaming in the dying sun and his eyes glimmered with laughter. "What about you? How'd you get to camp?"

"The normal way, I suppose."

"And what is normal for a half-blood?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "You know – a satyr led me to camp and I stay there over the summer. I spend the rest of the year with my mom in a small town off of New York City."

I nodded slowly. "How many summers have you been at camp?"

"This will be my third year. Annabeth has been here the longest and then there's me and finally Lysander showed up in the winter all though his first summer at camp was the summer before that." He paused for a minute, tracing designs in the ground with dusty fingers. "I guess it fits that we all became good friends; we had trouble fitting in with everyone else here. Actually, I think we had trouble fitting in in general."

I found it pretty hard to believe and I voiced my doubts: "You had trouble fitting in? _Really_?"

He ruffled his hair self-consciously. "One of the few traits I got from my mom was a bit of her awkwardness – she liked to call herself 'socially awkward.' When I was younger I was also moving from school to school and from town to town because something always went wrong or a monster would attack; it's the curse of a demigod. Because of how much we moved and how many new people I met, I wasn't able to make that many friends and I stayed mostly to myself. It got better when I came to camp but I still felt out of place in a large group of people."

"I still don't believe you," I said.

"Well there are a few people I feel comfortable with. I'm not sure why I can talk to you so easily, but it's not as hard as it is with you than it is with other people. It was kind of the same with the Annabeth and Lysander and even the Stoll brothers."

I thought for a moment, trying to recall the Stoll brothers. "Sons of…Hermes?"

He nodded and said, "During my first year at camp I spent some time with them and they showed me some tricks and pranks. I actually learned quite a bit from them." He grinned, reminiscing about the good times that he had spent with the twins.

We lapsed into silence and after a few minutes of silence, Annabeth and Lysander returned, their arms full of wood. They set up a warm fire that crackled merrily in the dying light and we helped them set up the rest of the supplies. They weren't carrying that much stuff with them but they still had the bare essentials with them: flashlights, blankets, lighters, weapons, and some food that was enough to feed a few demigods for a couple of weeks.

After we were all set up for the night, we decided on who would stand guard first while the others slept and I volunteered. Judging by their weary faces, I half-expected them to pass out right at that moment so I figured that I could relieve them of their duties for at least a few hours.

While they settled on the ground to sleep, I sat at the edge of the clearing, resting my back against a tree. I waited until I could hear their breathing even out and then I slipped the golden pocket watch out from underneath my shirt and flicked it open. I studied the multiple hands, watching as they spun from one thing to the next in an attempt to predict something that I couldn't control. I sat there hypnotized by its rhythm until I had to wake up Annabeth for the next watch.

-X-

Gods and goddesses have the ability to rest and take naps, but we don't actually need it. Most of us just settle with staying awake all day and all night so we can get more things done with the exception of perhaps only Dionysus who would rather get nothing done than to have to interact with the demigods at camp. To keep up the charade of being a normal demigod, I chose to sleep rather than stay up during the night and draw unwanted attention.

I was drawn from darkness when somebody shoved me in the side, rolling me over. "Wha–" I pushed myself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Nathan and Annabeth were already awake, both looking at Lysander who was holding a fluffy, well-groomed poodle and looking very confused.

"What's up with the dog?" Nathan asked, voicing everybody's confusion.

Lysander shifted the poodle from one arm to the other and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper which he clumsily unfolded using only one hand. He showed it to us and what I could get from it was that somebody was looking for the poodle and they were offering a nice reward. "The wind blew this into our camp near the beginning of my shift as guard," Lysander explained, handing it off to Annabeth who took it and studied it. "And then this poodle wandered in and…" He held up the poodle, unsure of what to say next.

"That's a…coincidence." Lysander said slowly, thinking.

I shook my head. "Too much of a coincidence. I don't like it." Alarm bells were sounding in my head and I surveyed the poodle as if it was a ticking time bomb that would go off at any moment.

"I agree with Lucy," Annabeth said and it took me a minute to realize she was talking about me. If Annabeth was agreeing with me, the situation was serious.

Nathan bit his lip. "But shouldn't we take the chance?" At the look on Annabeth's face he waved his hand in protest. "Hear me out. We should go to the address on the slip and see what they have to offer us. If we can get money from it, then we get lucky. If not…well there are four of us and hopefully we can handle whatever is waiting for us."

There was silence as we mulled over the plan. Lysander slowly began to nod in agreement. "I think we should do it," he said, and then looked to Annabeth. "What do you think?"

She bit her lip, on the edge of the decision. In my opinion, we shouldn't even have thought about such a plan. There were several monsters that sprang to mind that not even four strong demigods could handle on their own. I could see my own thoughts mirrored in Annabeth's eyes but before she could decide, all Hades broke loose.

A loud ripping sound erupted from the poodle and it was as if it was shedding its white fur. Tufts of fluff fell to the ground and Lysander was so surprised he dropped the morphing dog. My mind sped into battle mode and I sprang forward, summoning Riptide into my hand. Our little time bomb was about to explode.

**Like it? Dislike it? Want to toss it into the fire and then come chasing after me with a mob of other angry readers? Yeah, I thought so. I apologize for the long absence and could make several different excuses on why I haven't written in such a long time but honestly, I know my excuses will fall to deaf ears. Instead, I promise to try harder to update sooner and not leave you hanging.**

**Oh, and here's a nice cliffhanger for you… do you like it? Now I feel obligated to update sooner so I don't leave you all hanging. I was unsure how much to put into this chapter – originally I was planning on involving both Nathan and Percy's conversation and the monster attack but I felt like making this into a fluffy chapter. So I tried my best to separate the chapters as best as I can. Until next time, see you later~**

**-Jay**


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